It’s been a bad day, a tough day. There have been arguments and trials, weaknesses and weariness - just another day. I am thankful for every day, and taken in their entirety, each day is amazing and wonderful. But even on the best of days, it is possible to hit some rough spots. On a bad day, those rough spots just seem to crop up more frequently, requiring more and more energy just to get back on track, let alone make progress.

Sitting here, it’s easy to get lost in the worst parts of the day. It’s easy to get angry and depressed - incredibly easy actually. I can’t let that happen but I can’t do it alone. Without consciously seeking the Lord on days like today, my best option would be to tune out and turn off the world. It keeps me from getting upset, but it is also keeps me from doing anything positive. We are called to love those around us, even when we don’t feel like loving ourselves. We are called to give to the Lord, even when we don’t feel like giving someone the time of day. We are called to be compassionate and strong Christians, even, and especially when, it’s tough to summon a compassionate word for those that hurt us, intentionally or not.

The Lord offers help. Sometimes that help ravages the heart. As I sit here and feel bad for myself, it makes me sick. What in my life is so hard that a child from Kenya or Haiti wouldn’t jump at the chance to switch places with me? Thank you Lord. For putting my struggles into perspective and allowing your love and compassion to shine through.

If I can get through the hard days in my own life and maintain compassion for others, it means I am growing stronger. We all have different levels of strength and different struggles. Just like the body, the spirit grows most during times of extreme exertion. I am struggling to open my heart to others, so I continue to pray for the strength to grow more like Paul. He writes in 2 Corinthians 11:28-30 (NIV):

“Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

~ Marq Caughell

If we have found peace and joy in life, it is often not because we have procured it for those less fortunate than ourselves, but rather because we have become successful at ignoring the relative lack of things peaceful and joyful in the lives of people whose paths we cross everyday.

I was really struck by that statement in the September 11th Ignite devotional. I think if you ask anyone, “Do you want peace in your life?” No matter where they are in their spiritual journey the answer would be, “Yes, of course.”

For the world, the word “peace” generally refers to the absence of war or the resolution of external conflict. We see peace rallies, peace marches, and peace signs. People of all faiths pray for world peace. It’s become the cliché beauty pageant answer.

When the Bible refers to peace it’s usually referring to an internal peace that means to be complete or whole. The Bible tells us that genuine peace can only be experienced when we allow God to fill the emptiness of our hearts and remove the stain of sin and guilt. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6 NIV

Peace is one of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). It’s a good thing. It’s something a Christian should want, right?

That’s why it rocked my world when I read, “If we have found peace… it is often… because we have become successful at ignoring the relative lack of things peaceful… in the lives of people whose paths we cross everyday.”

How can I as a Christian be at peace when there are thousands of people dying of poverty and disease every day? How can I be a peace when family members, friends, coworkers, and friends are headed towards a Christless eternity? How can I be at peace when people around me are suffering the pain of divorce, loneliness, addiction, abuse, and neglect?

In experiencing the “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7) we see God’s holiness (perfection). Seeing God’s holiness causes the brokenness of this world to stand out in stark contrast. And if we open our eyes to that brokenness, it breaks our hearts. Our hearts cry out, “That’s not right! It should not be that way!” We’re left with a “holy discontent.” So, the peace of God produces a lack of peace???

It’s ironic.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and yet he said “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34 NIV)

It’s perplexing.

Perhaps there are Christians wiser than I that understand this and can make sense of it to me some day, but for now I’m going to embrace and live in the dissonance of peace and discontent that come from God at work in my heart.

Peace be with you - or maybe not - or perhaps both.

~ Paul Steinbrueck

As Christians, we are supposed to be compassionate.  But, what is compassion without action?

In the dictionary, the description of compassion is “sympathetic pity or concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others”.  Compassion begins with action - seeing, hearing and feeling followed by action.  We need to look into the eyes of those in pain, the people that are forgotten by society, and as Christians act on what we see.  We are not to turn our faces in pity and denial and move on.  It is our mission as Christ followers to do our job and act!  Seeing, hearing and feeling is where it starts—not with compassion itself.  As Christians, we are to emulate Christ as much as possible and Jesus was a man of action.

Many times we get overwhelmed or we question God and ask him how he can let all this poverty, pain and suffering continue.  But, as Christians we are the Body of Christ.

We are the physical hands, heart, feet and head of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  We are Christ in action.  We are the ones responsible for changing the world.  We cannot wait for a miracle to happen; we are the miracle saved by his blood and we are here on earth to do his bidding.  If all Christians act in compassionate ways, we will all benefit.  So do not look to someone else to make a difference, look in the mirror.  Can you volunteer—  take a mission trip—help someone in need—write a check?  You can make a difference in this world.  You only have one life to live.  What if this was a test?  Would you pass?

Verses about compassion can be found in Proverbs 22:22-23, Isaiah 61:1-3, Mark 1:40-42, Luke 10:30-37, John 14:12,  Isaiah 58:6-7, James 2:15-17, I Peter 3:8-9, Psalm 82:3, Matthew 25:34-40

As discussed over the past two weeks, Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the first church – the fellowship of the believers.  Verse 42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” “Devoted themselves.”  Notice that it was an individual decision to…become the church.  Each believer submitted themselves to full devotion to Christ.  What did that look like?  How did they keep the fire burning white hot inside themselves to be fully devoted?

I see 4 distinct ways in which they devoted themselves - the first is to the apostle’s teaching, the second is to the fellowship, the third is to the breaking of bread.

I find it interesting that verses 46-47 tell us, “…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people…”  What a beautiful picture of believers gathered together to remember Christ’s sacrifice and to share a meal with the people they care most about, in the special loving environment that a home can have.  There is a small group at Cypress that begins every gathering with a meal and it’s amazing what it does to bring about community and intimacy within their group.  They are glad and prepared to share authentic community and study with one another after time together like that.

Don’t you just feel special being invited to be together around a table?  What about the Lord’s table?  He invites us to come to it regularly and Cypress Meadows offers corporate communion at His table the first Wednesday of every month.  Practice full devotion by obeying His command to break bread in memory of Him.  It definitely stokes the fire when we remember the extent of His devotion to us.

~ Kay Evenwel

I have experienced being “white-hot” several times in my life as most of us have.  The times I have valued the most were a sustained heat that comes through the direct connection with the creator of the universe for a prolonged period.  “Being in the Zone” as it were; those moments are often characterized as “life changing.”  I have experienced these life changing experiences as a death to self and a birth of new spirituality.  I have also come to realize that with these experiences there is pain.

Spiritual pain is God doing surgery on our heart.  Or in keeping with the analogy in the Ignite series, God is like a silversmith assaying silver by fire in order to remove the impurities.  A silversmith will bring the silver to a white-hot liquid temperature.   Through the use of special techniques the silversmith is able to burn off impurities and collect undesired residue at the top of the glowing pool of silver.  It is in the extreme white-hot state that the silversmith is then able to separate and remove the impurities.

In a similar way God will get us white-hot in order to remove impurities from his children.  When we are filled with the white-hot energy of God’s love and power we will often see our sinful nature in raw, unavoidable, naked truth and we are naturally ashamed. 

If I am honest with myself I have to admit that this shame is one of the root causes that prevents me from seeking the white-hot state of being a fully devoted follower.  There are many forms that this takes, but in the end it is avoidance.

Yet our God is a God of love and infinite wisdom.  He understands us better than we do ourselves.  I have recently rediscovered Psalm 139, and the Lord has been using it to ignite a passion for white-hot life change.

For today’s devotional I ask that each of you take a moment to reflect on the sustained white-hot times of your life and think of the times when you felt very close to God and were very uncomfortable.  What was God working on in your spirit?  Looking back can you see the change?  Where do you think you would have been without having gone through that experience?

Next, quiet your spirit and read Psalm 139.  Pay particular attention to the passages where you ask God to examine your heart.  Slowdown and perhaps read the passage aloud.  Journal the experience and make a note to return to this point in a few months.

I have found that God always answers a sincere “search me, show me” prayer.  I will not promise that the experience will be pleasant, quite the opposite; however it is always worth it when you emerge on the other end.

~ Gerry Evenwel III

Frederick Buechner once wrote:

“Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it’s like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”

Most of us would probably nod our heads in agreement with this statement, but an honest appraisal of ourselves and our actions would show that we tend to be very protective of that line that separates what is “us” from that which is “others”. If we have found peace and joy in life, it is often not because we have procured it for those less fortunate than ourselves, but rather because we have become successful at ignoring the relative lack of things peaceful and joyful in the lives of people whose paths we cross everyday. The Bible is clear, however, that such disinterest in others’ needs is not only detrimental to those whom we choose to ignore, but it has undesirable ramifications for our own souls as well (see Matthew 25:41-46).

As Derek Webb sings in his song “This Too Shall Be Made Right”:

“I join the oppressors of those I choose to ignore.
I’m trading comfort for human life,
and that’s not just murder it’s suicide”.

That sound in the background is the sound of my toes being stepped on…

- Chuck Deitch

In the past two weeks I’ve been in a lot of conversations about doing life in community and one aspect I’ve found myself discussing a lot is the idea of serving each other in community. The funny thing I’ve found is that people truly are not put out by lending a hand to someone they love who needs their help. Whether it be childcare for a few hours of time alone or going out together to get some one-on-one friend time or taking time out to follow up on prayer requests it doesn’t seem to put people out at all to take the time and make the effort. In fact, most people felt more impacted by being able to serve someone they love than the people being served in some instances.

But, what about our larger community?

James 1:26-27 (MSG) puts it this way:

26-27Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

So, the kind of religion God is looking for reaches out to help not only people in our relational worlds who are often easy to love, but beyond that, into the world to the “homeless and loveless”. Often, those people don’t seem so easy to love. It’s not nearly as convenient. They don’t run in our circles, in our usual places we frequent. So it takes an intentional effort usually. But, as Douglas always says,

we will never lock eyes with someone who doesn’t matter deeply to God

and therefore should matter to us.

I have to ask myself: When was the last time I got over the inconvenience and reached out to someone who is “homeless and loveless”? I also wonder, will I feel put out and inconvenienced in the end? or will I find that I have been given a lot just by giving of myself?

Ask yourself the same.

If you’re like me, you may not be pleased with the answer to the first question. And I think I already know the answer to the second.

But, please, don’t stop there. Do something about it! Good intentions won’t help anyone. You have to put actions behind the compassion you feel in your heart.

Homelessness… poverty… AIDS in Africa… hurricanes… war… substance abuse… unclean drinking water… child abuse… tsunamis…  Seems like we’re bombarded by news of these crises on a daily basis.  The problems can seem so big that we don’t know what to do about them.  Even if we did know what to do, would it make any difference?  Sometimes it’s just easier to bury our heads and divert our attention to our busy, American lifestyle, insulatd from the problems of our community and the world.  Unless you allow God to ravage your heart by a holy fire of compassion.

Visit the sermon blog/podcast to listen to the teaching online, review and reflect on the sermon notes, and consider the next step in your spiritual journey.  Plus hear 4 Cypress Meadowers talk about how God has changed their hearts and their lives after helping those in need.

A Lesson From Geese

Have you ever wondered why migrating geese fly in a V formation?

As with most animal behavior, God had a good reason for including that in their instincts.

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following.

In a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone…
…and quickly gets back into formation.

Like geese…
…people who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier than those who try to go it alone.

When a goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. If people had as much a sense as geese, they would realize that ultimately their success depends on working as a team, taking turns doing the hard tasks, and sharing leadership.

Geese in the rear of the formation honk to encourage those up front to up their speed. It is important that our “honking from behind” be encouraging. Otherwise, it’s just – well – honking.

When a goose gets sick or wounded, two other geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and provide protection. They stay with the unhealthy member of the flock until it is either able to fly again or dies.

Then they launch out again with another passing flock or try to catch up with their own. May we be so sacrificial, that we may be worthy of such friends in our time of need.

You don’t have to be a scientist to learn from God’s marvelous creation; you only need to stop long enough to observe and let God reveal His wonders to you.

Job 12:7-9
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; 8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?

~ Submitted by Paul Steinbrueck; author unknown

Acts 2 Living – Part II

As discussed last Thursday, Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the first church – the fellowship of the believers.  Verse 42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” “Devoted themselves.”  Notice that it was an individual decision to…become the church.  Each believer submitted themselves to full devotion to Christ.  What did that look like?  How did they keep the fire burning white hot inside themselves to be fully devoted?

I see 4 distinct ways in which they devoted themselves, and the first is to the apostle’s teaching.  The second is to the fellowship.  The believers submitted themselves to relationships with other Christ followers.  Fellowship was so significant that they not only met regularly as a large body of believers, but also in small groups within their homes.  They did not choose to do one or the other, but both.  Verses 44 – 46 say, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…”

As a fellowship of believers, we too benefit from both corporate worship as a body and from worship in small groups of believers to personally study and practice our faith.  We are challenged to share our possessions, our resources, our talents, and our faith with anyone as they have need as the first church did.  Submitting these things in full devotion to Christ keeps God on the throne, not the material things or personal talents that we can get caught up in.  We act selflessly rather than selfishly.  Our fires can be quenched when we draw the line at any of these things, or when we neglect meeting together in large and small groups.  We draw our strength from God and one another. — Our encouragement from God and one another.  And our heart grows in love for God and one another when we devote ourselves to the fellowship.
~ Kay Evenwel